Children + Devices = Bad Bad Bad (or does it?) ...and how does that make you feel? :-/

Frying their brains... or learning skills?

 When we were little the 'big deal' was television.  Too much TV rotted your brain, right?  What about all those people that grew up to be actors, producers, cinematographers, etc.?  Why was television, arguably, GOOD for some people and just a numbing, zombie making, box of brain death for others? This is what we think, some people were thinking... the whole time they were watching!  They were inspired by the images, music, story lines, SOMETHING.  They were creating later, with the information that they gathered.  Television was a springboard for them, not the end all.

From our experiences with our children, we see that there are different ways that different people 'do' different things.  One kid can watch a TV show and sink into a stupor of unthinking blobness while another kid can watch that exact same show and think about how the lighting bounces off the puppets, how the camera angle makes such a big difference in the 'feel' of the shot, and wonder the whole time how they can replicate the set to produce their own 'movie' of the same quality.  It makes us wonder if the activity (in this case TV watching) is bad for our children, or if there are WAYS to watch TV that are bad for our children.  It makes us wonder if a better question than 'how much screen time' might be 'how is each individual child handling screen time'.

Violently creative?  Or creatively violent?

Do our children really need to be fluent with technology?  Yes.  Won't there be enough people that are computer and device savvy that the world won't need OUR children turning into drones?  Well, the thing is, technology is a language and they will have to 'speak' it well.  (We see that we could be on our own screens far less if we had a better command of technology ourselves.  Ironic, isn't it?)  It makes us think though, that a healthy dose of technological know how is definitely very important for our children's futures.

We spoke with our friend, Loreal, and some good points emerged.  People, we concluded, are individuals.  Rules for one child might not be exactly right for another child.  Life should be lived fluidly and if there are indications that too much internet, device, or digital entertainment time is happening we can simply stop allowing so much...  Maybe instead of spending so much time discussing and thinking about the damage that certain things do to our children's minds we might look at our children, in the moment, and efficiently diagnose the immediate, present situation and respond to that...

Our children can still hold pencils!

Does your child spend time on MineCraft and then build elaborate (or inspired) structures in the living room.  Do they draw box-like creatures on napkins and talk to you about them?  Is there evidence outside of device time that indicates they were thinking while they were staring at the screen?

Some of our children spend time on their screens and then produce all manners of artworks, music, writings and ideas around what they have watched or played.  Some of our children only complain about how bored they are when they are not allowed to play with their device.  Guess which ones we allow to spend more time in front of their screens?

...and are adept agents of espionage!

What do you guys think?  Do you think that we should worry about time constraints if our children are growing, or would they grow MORE without screens?  Also, do children need to be encouraged to be creative and be in the habit of creating FIRST, in order to respond to technological stimuli in a forward thinking, motivated way? What does screen time and the limiting of it mean for adults?  Is it bad for us to be glued to our devices so much, even if we are working?  Do we sometimes make all this more complicated by spending so much time thinking about it?  Would we all get along with less guilt and judgement if we did not have 'emblazoned burned on our hearts' opinions about these things? Thoughts?

-Epp

Love, Love, Laugh!

It's time for a big giant smooch!!!  Around our houses love is a big deal!  We think it kind of ALL comes down to love, actually...  All the work, all of the thought, all of the communication... It's all to bring us together and teach us how to love.  Creativity, in a practical sense, is mostly important in its application to overcome obstacles that prevent growth. Right?  

But why's it all so serious?  WE like to have FUN!  The Professional Bohemians have this little thing called Think for Play.  It's simply using our brains to think, in a way that is as fun and as playful as possible.  That makes us wonder, Valentine's day is just around the corner... what are some fun ways that you have said, "I love you"?  

  

Creative Ways to Keep a Little One Entertained in the Hospital

If ever there was a time to Think for Play, it is when your child needs you to comfort and distract them from a unfamiliar (potentially scary) situation. Our friends Luke and Sarah are dealing with a time such as this. Their youngest daughter, Lila Grace, has been diagnosed with a Wilm's Tumor and is in Vanderbilt Children's Hospital dealing with I.V.s and other stressful things. We love this family so much (send up a prayer for them, if you have a heart to!) and really can't get little Lila off of our minds, so we used some of this preoccupation to brainstorm some ways to keep a precious little girl or boy a bit more comfortable during trying times away from home.

 Flashlights and shadow play: 

Grab a flashlight, turn down the lights and play! Make hand shadow puppets with your child or cut silhouettes out of paper and shine the light on them to make pictures on the wall. (We found this and other awesome tips here, on the Mother website.)

Doll play: 

Aside from the opportunity to introduce the little one to a needed procedure in a non threatening way, plain old doll play is therapeutic on its own. Doll play reduces stress and bonds parents and children.  

Drawing Games: 

A particularly hilarious game is Toaster Bunny. First, think of two very different items and ask the child to draw a picture of what the two things would look like combined. Then let them make up a combo of oddities for you to draw! This has resulted in some very entertaining drawings.

Scavenger Hunt: 

Make a list of a few things to look for like 'A Blue Couch' or 'A Door With the Number 3' and other things to make the trip through the halls a bit more fun. If you like color scavenger hunts you can adapt this Color Wheel Scavenger Hunt. It was originally designed for hunting through nature, but you can just as easily hunt for color in the hospital :).

Through the years we know that some of you have had to deal with similarly scary situations with your children or grand children and came up with creative ideas to keep them peaceful, help them take their medicine or distract them from uncomfortable procedures. We would welcome your ideas in the comments or on FaceBook and would love to pass them on to Luke and Sarah.

Here is the blog that Luke and Sarah have set up to keep everyone updated on Lila's progress: http://duncanfriends.blogspot.com
Please keep her in your prayers!! 

15 Hours, 11 People, One Big Honkin' Van

Yesterday we packed 4 adults and 7 children and a bunch of stuff into a 15 passenger van and made a 15 hour trip from TN to PA. We are crazy. Just for the record.